Episode 8: The Monster of Karma
A group of newly inducted holy knights set off from the royal city of Britannia towards the city of Reali. The expedition training camp, being somewhat of a novel event, has left some of them feeling slightly excited.
Glen, Fubuki, and True walk together, showcasing their camaraderie to those around them. Their good looks draw many admiring glances from the women.
The three friends continue on, feeling the envious stares from others. Among them is one other man who also receives jealous looks:
He is Fei.
Accompanying Fei are Arthur and Bowlan, one on each side. Fei, however, pays them no mind, which only intensifies the stares from others.
“Fei, it’s a bit chilly. Should we hold hands for warmth?”
“I’m starving, Fei! How about we grab something to eat when we reach the city?”
“……”
Without changing his pace or responding to their chatter, Fei maintains his silence.
He glances at his own hand, squinting and repeatedly opening and closing it, a behavior that seems odd to the men around him.
“What’s up, Fei?”
“……”
“Hey, don’t ignore me again…bad boy!”
Arthur’s playful role-playing as the big sister doesn’t waver, but Fei continues to ignore her, staring at his hand as if deep in thought.
“What’s going on?”
“……”
Fei’s focus remains on his hand, concentrating his star energy on one specific spot, rather than spreading it evenly.
His clumsy and awkward attempt at control draws attention, especially since he’s doing this next to a beautiful woman. Moreover, because of his unattractive appearance, he was treated as a lower rank by the people around him, wondering if he was still that good at it at this time of the year.
Laughter and mockery are faintly audible around him. Derision and jealousy are directed at Fei, but he remains unresponsive. Instead, a red-haired, red-eyed wolf reacts on his behalf.
“──Grrrrr!”
“Eek!”
“She’s glaring at us!”
Bowlan growls menacingly at the boys mocking Fei, making them back off. Arthur gives a thumbs-up.
“Nice, Bowlan. You deserve a head pat.”
“Woof!”
Bowlan enjoys Arthur’s petting, wagging like a happy puppy. As they interact, Fei’s pace falters, creating a gap that Ese and Kamase quickly fill.
Arthur and Bowlan eturn to Fei’s side prompting jealousy spikes around them.
“You’re seriously annoying,”
“……”
“Hey, don’t ignore us too,”
“Fei, can you hear me?”
“……What?”
Fei finally responds when Ese raises his voice. Until then, no one’s voice seemed to be echoing through him.
“I was worried because you kept staring at your hand.”
“I see.”
“Is something wrong? You can tell us.”
“What’s going on with Fei?”
“……I was thinking about what I need to achieve from this training,”
The words were spoken to other, but at the same time they sounded like a push to himself. Fei kept his palms still as he continued to collect the star magic in his hands
Ese and Kamase, who had been hoping to flirt with girls, are left speechless by Fei’s serious demeanor. They shiver as Arthur glares at them.
(Those guys are always hovering around Fei. They have no sense.)
Arthur strokes Bowlan’s head, staring down Ese and Kamase until they silently leave. She tries to reclaim her spot next to Fei, but someone else moves in.
A woman with purple hair and clear gray eyes tugs at Fei’s sleeve. She’s beautiful and expressionless
—Beta.
“……”
“……”
They stand in silence, Beta blinking at Fei before quietly moving away.
“Hey, Beta! Don’t just leave like that,”
“……!!”
“Huh? Observed an eternal machine human but couldn’t say anything definitive?”
“……!”
“Gamma also thinks that person is different.”
“He’s still suspicious.”
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma whisper among themselves. Finally, Arthur gets her spot next to Fei.
“Do you know her?” A
“……Who knows.”
“She seemed like she has trouble talking to people.”
Fei thinks to himself that Arthur is not one to talk about having trouble communicating.
(She’s one to talk.)
Arthur feels protective, determined to guard her “little brother.”
(That’s the stalker who was following Fei. People around Fei are always like this. I have to protect him.)
Arthur continues patting Bowlan’s head, walking beside Fei, but their thoughts are disconnected. Arthur’s protective instincts as a sister are strong.
“I’ll protect you, little brother.”
“……”
(Doesn’t make any sense.)
Arthur’s declaration confuses Fei, who feels more like he’s being toyed with.
Giant Panda [Yay, it’s a Fei tire! Let’s play with this tire!]
Feeling underestimated by Arthur, Fei’s determination to surpass her grows as they reach the city of Reali.
Reali is a large city with beautiful canals where people can travel by boat.
The new knights proceed to one of the largest buildings in the city. They enter the temporary castle of the Round Table, a large three-story castle-like fortress. Immediately, a man with the air of a veteran wearing the same uniform appears.
As they enter, a man with black hair and a strict demeanor greets them.
“Welcome to the gates of hell. I’m Batsubatsu, a fourth-class holy knight, and I’ll be training you from today. Line up immediately.”
He turns his back, signaling them to follow. His intensity makes everyone hurry to line up inside the grounds.
Once lined up, two more knights join Batsubatsu: a white-haired elder and a young, lazy-looking brown-haired knight.
“Introduce yourself, Magnum,”
“……I’m Magnum, the second-class holy knight in charge here. You’re here to become stronger. I expect optimal behavior and no unnecessary actions.”
“Ah, I’m the fourth-class holy knight Kakukaku, here to support Magnum. Do your best.”
With that, Magnum sits down in his chair. He looks at the newcomer sharply and piercingly, like a hawk. The look in his eyes makes them all tense.
“Alright, let’s start training. Everyone, do 500 push-ups with star energy. The last place will do an additional 200.”
Training began. Everyone rushed to put their hands on the ground. Those who had come hoping for a social gathering were disappointed. It was impossible to mingle in such a place. Everyone controlled their bodies with star power and did push-ups.
Those who didn’t want to be at the bottom and have to do 200 more push-ups, nor did those want to stand out and attract attention.
Everyone was doing push-ups with all their might. The first to finish was Arthur, the second was True, and there was a big gap before everyone else finished one after another. And the last one was Fei.
Batsubatsu scolded her harshly.
“Two hundred more for you!”
“……”
Fei silently continues his push-ups, drawing pity from the others. thinking that he’s been spotted, that he’s at the bottom of the class, and that he has no talent.
“Only 100 left!”
“……”
Fei keeps his pace, and from a distance, Kakukaku comments to Magnum.
“So slow…that should be easy.”
“……”
Magnum remains silent, while Batsubatsu counts Fei’s push-ups closely.
“193, 194, 192, 193, 194, 195, 190”
Pretending to count, he kept cycling through the same numbers over and over again. The endless push-ups seemed like they would never end. Some were relieved they weren’t the last, while others laughed at those below them.
It wouldn’t be surprising if someone broke down from this.
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“191, 192──”
“187, 188”
Smirking, he intentionally repeated the numbers during those endless push-ups. He began responding with lower numbers each time.
“……189”
“178, 179”
Fei muttered the numbers over and over. No one knew how long this would go on. The one counting, not Fei, started to get anxious.
Before they realized it, he had been doing push-ups for over an hour.
“Enough, take him to the next room.”
“Oh, y-yes!”
At Magnum’s command, Batsubatsu told Fei to stop the push-ups. Fei accepted calmly and removed his hands from the ground.
“Are you done? …… “
He stood up without even looking at batsubatsu, who seemed disappointed and anticlimactic.
“He’s acting all high and mighty over this.”
“……”
Kakukaku looked at Fei with a displeased expression, while Magnum continued to glare sharply.
Fei moved on to the next training session. The way others looked at him changed naturally. They headed to a room in the castle’s basement. It was a large room that looked like a prison made of stone, with a magic circle drawn on the floor.
“This room is enchanted with a special magic circle that puts immense mental pressure on everyone inside. Of course, the magic won’t work if the circle is erased. Now, everyone get in without damaging the circle.”
Following orders, everyone entered the room. Their faces quickly turned pale, especially Arthur, who clutched her head, turned pale, and felt nauseous.
“Alright, stay here until──”
Before Batsubatsu finished speaking, Arthur dashed out of the room. She couldn’t endure the mental pressure. For someone like Arthur, with a weak mind, this place was hell.
“Leaving before the explanation… Well, fine. The rest of you stay until your limit.”
He closed the door with that.
They felt as if their brains were being squeezed by a giant hand. Their bodies shook uncontrollably like they had restless leg syndrome.
Some bit their nails to calm down, while others were annoyed by the scratching sound, worsening the room’s atmosphere. The extreme stress from the room compounded.
“Ugh…”
Bowlan also clutched her head. True, who wasn’t very mentally strong, turned pale. Ese and Kamase’s breathing became erratic, despite not being tired.
“Arrghhh!!”
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